Page 63 - DCAP303_MULTIMEDIA_SYSTEMS

Unit 4: Image

4.4 natural Light and Colour notes

Natural light can be used, augmented or even combated by using a number of different techniques.
Depending on the kind of sunlight that enters your room, that is, depending on whether it is direct
or indirect, the light will bring out different tones within your room.

Indirect sunlight that enters a room from a north-facing window will be a cooler, bluer light than
direct sunlight. As a result, you have the choice of whether or not to augment this coolness or
to combat it using other colours. On the one hand, if you want to bring out the coolness, either
white colours (which will reflect more of the light without alteration), reflective metal surfaces
(which will do the same) or bluish colours will all bring out the blue-end of the lighting spectrum
in the natural light.

On the other hand, if you want to combat the cooling effects of indirect light, you have a number
of options. Indirect light is white enough that the blueness can be filtered out without significantly
hurting the overall brightness of your light. It can be filtered in a number of ways. First, you
may filter it out directly through the use of very thin, warm curtains placed over your windows.
Second, it may be filtered out by not allowing it to reflect. This is done by avoiding the use of
blue and white colours within your room, absorbing all the blueness.
Direct sunlight will be a yellower and warmer light, and again, one may choose to either augment
or combat this effect. Since direct light is warm, white will bring out these warming properties.
The yellowness can also be brought out by using warmer tones within the decoration of your
room. The yellowness will actually highlight the warm tones in your objects, providing an overall
sense of comfort and vibrancy to your room.

On the other hand, the warmth of direct light may be combated. Direct sunlight is white enough
that, if you do not use warm colours or white, the bluer colours in the light will stand out. Be
aware, though, that white will not appear as a cool colour in direct sunlight, but will become
warm, as it is reflecting thaae properties of the light.
Depending on the kind of sunlight you are dealing with, colours can either augment or combat
the natural features of that light.

4.5 Computerized Colours

Image that looks good on one computer might look completely different on another. Consider
this: If you visit a clothing store on the Web and see a blue shirt, you are out of luck if you think
that the shirt is really that shade of blue. Also, if you are visiting a museum on the Web to view
Matisse’s paintings, or researching skin diseases, or analyzing a satellite weather photo, you may
not be seeing the correct colours and you may be getting incorrect information.
4.5.1 How Computers see colour?

The following components work together to create colour on your computer:
1. the computer hardware on the motherboard
In the simplest terms, deep inside your computer is a “brain.” It may or may not be able to
see and recreate accurate colours.
2. Graphic cards or video cards/boards
You may have a graphic card or video card/board installed. If so, this helps your computer
to see better colours and more colours. (Note: This is built into all Macintosh computers.)

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